


Matter of Fact

by Luxicorde



Series: FFXIV Write 2020 [5]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: and I never played xii, because there's only breadcrumbs for dalmasca in xiv, oh look I have nothing to tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:01:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26334529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luxicorde/pseuds/Luxicorde
Summary: When Amelius was still stationed in Dalmasca.
Series: FFXIV Write 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1906447





	Matter of Fact

**Author's Note:**

> Somehow this character went from "I will maintain my family's military traditions" to "I am now actively fighting against the empire and fucking half the realm while doing so" and I blame Michi for enabling it.
> 
> Also welcome to the "I have spent days trying to write something meant to be completed in a few hours, so just ship it" style of writing, for all of the potentially new people reading my fics.

It started with a rock. 

One of the Aan refused to stand aside for an officer. When he was shoved, he picked a rock up and tossed it. One person, one rock turned into a group, and then a mob. The officer was stoned to death, the higher-ups responded by doubling down security, and the people responded by turning to one of the resistance factions for protection. One of the new recruits had been gunned down in the street, and it didn’t take long before the whole city was a warzone. 

Amelius had only been there for a few moons, barely enough time to learn and remember everyone’s names and skills. When the fighting started, it was easy enough to move around the city. As a sniper, he stayed well away from the main conflicts, leaving the fighting to the others in his squadron. Then there was a bombing during a regular patrol, and he ended up separated from most of the others, leaving him with Aja.

“Are you sure you know what the hells you’re doing over there?”

“As a matter of fact-” Amelius closed his mouth as he disconnected one of the valves in the downed magitek unit, doing his best to catch the ceruleum spilling out, “I do.”

“Well hurry it up, I don’t want to stick around to see what happens if they find us all on our own!”

“Then quit shouting you idiot!” _There_. “That should be enough to get their attention, now give me your sword.”

“What?! I’m not giving you my-” Amelius scooched back out from under the machine, face covered with smudges as dark as his hair as he glared at Aja. They were about the same height, and Aja was a bit older (and certainly a lot stronger), but he had the good sense to listen. “ _Fine_ , but if this doesn’t work-”

“It will.”

“ _If it doesn’t_ , you’re gonna owe me a new sword.”

“Just shut up and give me your damn sword!” He was all the way out from under the magitek unit now, standing and putting all the ceruleum he could get in the weak spots between plates. Once Aja finally handed his sword over, Amelius hopped into the pilot seat, getting the unit back on its feet and steering it towards the main square. That’s where the bomb had been placed, and it was still crawling with resistance members, and the two could only thank the wind for keeping the dust above their heads while they got the unit working again. One stomp, then two, and Amelius was hopping out of the seat, wedging Aja’s sword against the drive controls and the chair itself, keeping it moving forward even without a pilot. Amelius was off and running as soon as he hit the ground, dragging Aja along as the reaper charged into the square. Once they were far enough away and his little trick was just about in the square, Amelius spun around, dropping to one knee as he pulled his rifle off his back. The dust still had yet to clear, but he still had a good idea of where it was. The first shot went wide by the sound of it, hitting stone, maybe a building or the fountain. The second clanged against metal, but not in between the plates like he needed. 

There.

The wind changed, leaving the two of them wide open but giving Amelius just enough of a window to hit where he needed. The bullet struck against the plates, wedging itself in between and making just enough of a spark to set the thing ablaze, a great blue bonfire serving as a fuse for a now ticking time bomb. Aja didn’t waste time in hauling Amelius to his feet, nearly carrying him as the two bolted. It wouldn’t be long before it went off, and it’d be a good enough distraction to keep the resistance occupied while they regrouped, but not if they sat around on their asses. 

Aja yanked Amelius into an alley, keeping him behind as a few people drawn by the shots ran by. The last they’d heard, the east side of the city was in ruins, and they were the last men in contact with the senior officers. Amelius felt bad for them, they were probably resistance members trying to clean up, and they were running headfirst into a trap. Aja continued running once they were past, and Amelius followed, keeping pace and staying close once the dust started to thin. Almost as soon as the two of them were within sight of another Garlean soldier, the blast went off, sending another shockwave of dust their way.

**Author's Note:**

> Part of the ffxivwrite 2020 challenge. Also I have a twitter, @Luxicorde (same as tumblr) but it's mostly just porn.


End file.
